The present invention relates to a server apparatus, a mail server apparatus or a FAX server apparatus that transmits, based on identification information on an alterable destination, data received from a source to the destination.
A mail server apparatus administers at least one domain, and has a mail box for each mail address that has a domain it administers. Upon receiving an email (hereinafter, referred to as “mail”), the mail server apparatus, referring to header information of the mail, acquires a mail address of a destination of the mail. When a domain of the mail address of the destination accords with a domain the apparatus itself administers, the mail server apparatus temporarily stores the received mail in a mail box for the mail address of the destination. The temporarily stored mail is downloaded to a client apparatus, and is then referred to by a user.
Also, when an alteration of a mail address is made by a user, the mail server apparatus sets the mail address before the change (i.e., mail address from which the alteration has been made) being unable to be used (i.e., unavailable), while setting a mail address after the change (i.e., mail address to which the alteration has been made) being able to be used (i.e., available). In a case where the alteration includes an alteration of a domain, a mail server apparatus that administers the domain after the change (i.e., domain to which the alteration has been made) sets, based on the direction of the user, the mail address after the change being available.
The mail server apparatus, on receiving a mail to a mail address before the change after the alteration of the mail address has been made, returns an error-informing mail to a source of the mail (i.e., the mail sender). The error-informing mail enables the mail server apparatus to notify the source of the mail that the mail address before the change cannot be used; however, this alone does not allow the mail server apparatus to notify the source of the mail of the mail address after the change, nor of the reason why the mail address has been changed. As a result, it is necessary for a user who has changed its mail address to send to many specific users notice to the effect that its mail address has been changed. Such notice is a procedure that is troublesome for the user.
To eliminate such a troublesome procedure, among the conventional mail server apparatus is one that notifies, on receiving a mail to a mail address before the change, the source of the mail of the mail address after the change (refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-111601 bulletin). The mail server apparatus includes a transfer information database, and registers therein a mail address after the change, associating thereof with a mail address before the change at the time of the change of the mail address.
The mail server apparatus as described in the Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2001-111601 bulletin, however, on receiving a mail to the mail address before the change, notifies any source of such mail equally of a mail address after the change. Consequently, the mail server apparatus is incapable of sending notice of a message to a user depending on each user.
Then, the present invention is directed to providing a mail server apparatus capable of sending notice of a message to a user depending on the user as a source by determining a relationship with the user beforehand.